Holding Baby Food Companies Accountable for Heavy Metal Toxicity

When it comes to the development of our children, we know just how important the food they consume is. As the old adage says, “We are what we eat.” We all strive, as parents and caregivers, to fuel our children with food that will not only provide them with the energy they need to thrive throughout the day, but that will also help them to grow into the strong and capable beings we know they’re destined to become.

However, even when we are careful about the foods we provide for our children, are we being protected by the companies that grow and make them? Or by the administrations that are meant to oversee those companies?

A report was recently released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, exposing seven well-known brands of baby food for distributing foods that are contaminated with toxic heavy metals. Some of these heavy metals include:

· Inorganic arsenic

· Lead

· Cadmium and

· Mercury

Effects of Heavy Metals in Children

Studies have shown that even in adults, toxic heavy metals accumulate in our systems, disrupting the function of vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, bones and liver. If that’s the case for us, just imagine the effects these dangerous materials have on our children’s small and developing bodies.

Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) have both labeled these heavy metals as neurotoxins. Of course, babies and young children are at the greatest risk. Even small amounts of heavy metals in a little one’s system can lead to irreversible damage to their brain development. Consequential developmental and behavioral disorders can include:

· Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD and ADHD)

· Oppositional defiant disorder

· Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

· Anxiety disorders

· Learning disorders and

· Conduct disorders

Even still, widely used companies such as Nurture, Inc. (who are the makers of HapyBABY), Beech-Nut Nutrition Company, Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (makers of Earth’s Best Organic), Gerber, Walmart, Cambell and Sprout Organic Foods all tested high in these harmful substances.

One of the reasons this is such a frequent occurrence is due to the low standards set by the FDA, which allow these companies to set their own internal standards and are only required to perform heavy metal testing on individual ingredients, and not for the product as a whole. Unfortunately, since the organizations meant to protect us as consumers have set the bar so low, it’s up to us to make the difference.

Defining Food Standards for Our Children

Since the release of this report, several lawsuits have been filed against the offending companies. And if the FDA does not step up on their own to create a safer market for our children, this is one of the best ways to get the attention of these organizations.

Other ways we can individually make a difference in the market, and lessen our children’s risk of heavy metal exposure, are:

1. Buying organic, whole foods when possible

2. Foregoing products made by offending organizations until a difference is made

We can make a difference in the way the food system is regulated. If your child suffers from a developmental or behavioral disorder, there is a chance that heavy metals are at play. And you deserve to be compensated for the negligence of the companies who played a part. It’s imperative that these companies be held responsible for the consequences of their greed, so that they will no longer act in such careless ways.

Let Us Help

At Christian & Christian, we will always put you and your family first. Raising a child, with all of its joys and rewards, is still a challenge. Although common, behavioral and developmental disorders only add to parental pressures. It’s our mission to ensure that you are provided with the compensation that you, your child and your family deserve for all of the unnecessary pain and added challenges you have experienced. We will fight – for you.

Call (864) 408-8883 today for more information.